Chihuahua Dog History

The Dogs of Colima

As with nearly all ancient cultures, iconic statuary was created for tombs to help the deceased in the afterlife. This was no different for the mesoamericans. The significance these little dogs for the cultures through out the americas can be seen through the tremendous archive of ancient ceramic sculptures.

Eerily, Roxy looks identical to a Colima Dog. Sorry, Rox, I know you’re on a diet, but at least now I know that it’s not your fault. It appears that certain types of Chihuahuas have had a long-time genetic tendancy to gaining weight.

On the other hand, Annie, who is very thin, totally resembles the wheeled dog toy that was discovered in 100 A.D. So, a dog like Annie would have been kept as a pet and watchdog.

But there's something more important to note about this particular dog toy. Even though early toys and sculptures in the likenesses of Chihuahuas were found in the ninth century A.D., it's this wheeled dog toy that helps solve two of the greatest mysteries about Chihuahua dog history.

The first, it helps conclude the true origins of the earlest Chihuahuas to be indeed from Mexico. The fact that the toy originated in Mexico around 100 A.D. means that it was made far before any Spaniard step foot in America. It also means that it predates any record of a small terrier-type dog living in China, records which, only started around the 18th century.

The second is about the origins of the small build and rounded head. There is some belief that these two characteristics came from either China or Europe. However again, it's hard to argue against this toy.